https://vimeo.com/472295870/17d5456ea1 The following memo was sent to AGMA members on 10/28/2020: We are excited to bring you an important announcement about the future of AGMA. Next month, on November 16, AGMA will begin a referendum vote to revise our union Constitution. We wanted to let you know how we got here and to encourage you to vote in the referendum. AGMA’s Constitution is our foundational governing document. It’s the most important document in the union and serves as our “rules for the road.” Our Constitution hasn’t been meaningfully updated in some time, which has lead to some problems along the way. Since 2019, AGMA’s Constitutional Working Group which is part of the Administration and Policy Committee ... Read More -->

AGMA was saddened to hear of the cancelations of the remainder of Lyric’s 2020-21 season. The pandemic has made it difficult for all of us in the Performing Arts industry and our Artists are eager to return to their favorite stage in the world. Lyric Opera said that its goal is to collaborate with its unions on “good faith proposals that included guaranteed wages and medical benefits during the dark period to help reduce the hardship during this difficult time.” That is AGMA's goal as well. AGMA wants to work with Lyric Opera to find a solution to all of the problems posed by COVID-19. In fact, we were doing just that: negotiating with Lyric Opera to find a way to provide income to our Artists who have been out of work since M... Read More -->

Following Lyric Opera of Chicago's announcement on the cancelation of its season, AGMA sent the following email to AGMA Artists of Lyric Opera of Chicago: You are receiving this email because you’ve worked at Lyric Opera of Chicago in the past season or were scheduled to work for Lyric Opera during this season. We are reaching out because today Lyric Opera announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020-2021 season. To say AGMA is disappointed is the understatement of the year. For those who were not able to join AGMA last night at our emergency shop meeting, we feel it is necessary at this moment to update you on the status of our negotiations with Lyric Opera of Chicago and what today’s announcement means for Artists. ... Read More -->

In its 84 years, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) has never endorsed a presidential candidate — but that all changed today. The AGMA Board of Governors voted on Tuesday, September 29 to endorse Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President of the United States. “President Trump has nominated anti-union and anti-worker judges at every level of the federal judiciary, including to the Supreme Court, resulting in judicial opinions that have attacked and undermined the legal status and protections of unions in the United States,” reads a part of the two-page resolution that was presented and approved by the AGMA Board of Governors in support of endorsing Joe Biden as President. This endorsement come... Read More -->

We are pleased to announce that today, AGMA finalized the purchase of its new headquarters. Our new office, located at 305 7th Avenue, will be state-of-the-art, and capable of hosting bargaining sessions, trainings, and other functions of the union. Once it is safe to come together again, we hope that you, our members, come to view this as a place where you can meet, organize, and celebrate with one another. We would like to recap the financial benefit to our members. First, our monthly and annual operating costs for office space have been greatly reduced, as monthly expenses are now far less than what AGMA was paying in rent at our old location. Second, we plan to sublet a portion of the space to another tenant. This renta... Read More -->

AGMA wishes to share some news with you about AGMA’s new National Headquarters, which will bring multiple benefits to the union and our members. The purchase has not been finalized, but we anticipate that happening at the end of September. We had planned to announce the new office space in our upcoming monthly newsletter once everything was complete. You may see some media coverage today regarding this news. Given some misinformation circulating, we felt it was necessary to hear about the new AGMA National Headquarters directly from your union, a few weeks earlier than planned, even though the purchase has not been finalized. AGMA has had its headquarters at 1430 Broadway, in the heart of the Garment District in Manhattan, for many y... Read More -->

AGMA is honored to share this performance of Solidarity Forever (AGMA 2020 Version) featuring AGMA members of  The Metropolitan Opera including Nathaniel Hunt, Ashley Emerson, Sarah Larsen, Christopher Job, and members of the Met Opera Chorus. https://vimeo.com/455874289 The Solidarity Forever score (found below) was written by Met AGMA Committee Chair Ned Hanlon (chorister), the Met’s Jeremy Little (chorister), and AGMA Eastern Counsel Sam Wheeler. They wrote this song earlier in the spring to encourage AGMA members to stay strong and stick together during the pandemic. Special thanks to Met Opera Ballet, Met Opera Supers, Maria D'Amato, Rachel Schmiege, Sara Heaton, Lianne Coble-Dispensa, Scott Dispensa, Brandon Mayberry, ... Read More -->

The American Guild of Musical Artists is the labor union of the finest singers, dancers, and staging staff in opera, choral performance, and concert dance in the United States. Like members of our sister unions, COVID-19 turned our lives upside down, leaving thousands of Artists unemployed. This has taken a devastating toll on AGMA artists, cutting fundamental economic lifelines for those of us who spend our lives in the performing arts. Nearly six months later, we continue to confront an unprecedented loss of work and earnings. We were the first to lose our jobs, and will likely be the last to return to work. And yet, have we given up? No. Have we stopped singing, dancing and creating? No. We are AGMA. We carry on. Doing so isn’t ... Read More -->